Car on Ukrainian plates in Poland: OC, inspection, registration

This guide is for anyone who lives in Poland and drives a car on Ukrainian plates — whether you have temporary protection or a residence card. Customs is the most important issue: if you live in Poland (it’s where you have your habitual residence), as a rule the car has to be cleared through customs and registered, or taken out of the EU; with temporary protection the position is less clear^23,24. As long as the car has Ukrainian plates, it needs a Green Card or Polish border insurance¹, and a Polish vehicle inspection isn’t compulsory⁸. Your residence status mainly affects whether your Ukrainian driving licence is recognised.

Key points at a glance

• If you live in Poland permanently (for example, with a residence card), as a rule the car has to be cleared through customs and registered (apply within 30 days of clearance) or taken out of the EU; with temporary protection the position is less clear — get advice. You may drive a relative’s car from Ukraine only occasionally. If you came to Poland in this car, you may qualify for relief for moving here.
• As long as the car has Ukrainian plates, you need a Green Card or Polish border insurance (for at least 30 days). Keep the policy in the car — without it, the police will retain the registration certificate, and to get it back you’ll pay a charge to UFG: 9,610 zł for a passenger car.
• A Polish inspection isn’t compulsory for a car on Ukrainian plates, but the police may check its technical condition.
• With temporary protection, a Ukrainian driving licence is recognised until 4 March 2028. Exchange it for a Polish one before you get a residence card.
• The UC95 draft bill (compulsory registration after a year) isn’t law yet — for now, you don’t need to do anything.

Insurance: a Green Card or border insurance

Ukraine belongs to the Green Card system but hasn’t signed the Multilateral Agreement, so a car on Ukrainian plates must have a valid Green Card (Zielona Karta) or Polish border insurance (ubezpieczenie graniczne) while in Poland¹. A Ukrainian motor liability policy on its own isn’t enough, and the driver must carry the document². A car without a Green Card won’t be let into Poland unless border insurance is bought⁴. The rules for border insurance:

• How long it lasts. At least 30 days^3,4. The Act sets no maximum period⁴.
• When to buy it. Before you enter Poland or — if the car is already in Poland — no later than the day the Green Card or previous border insurance ends⁴.
• Where to buy it. From insurance companies operating in Poland (the Polish Motor Insurers’ Bureau, PBUK, doesn’t sell policies). Claims go to the insurer named on the policy².
• Ordinary annual OC only after registration. You take it out no later than the day the car is registered in Poland⁴. Until then (including the 30 days after customs clearance), the car is driven on a Green Card or border insurance.

What happens if you drive without valid insurance

• Your registration certificate is retained. If the driver of a car registered outside the EU can’t show proof of OC, the police will retain the registration certificate (dowód rejestracyjny) and may stop the car being driven any further^6,8.
• A charge payable to UFG. To get the certificate back, you have to show a policy and pay a charge to the Insurance Guarantee Fund (Ubezpieczeniowy Fundusz Gwarancyjny, UFG)⁴. For a passenger car it is twice the minimum wage, which in 2026 means 9,610 zł — however long the gap in cover (the lower amounts in our guide to the no-OC fine don’t apply here)^4,5. The charge is also due if the car was insured but the driver didn’t have the document on them⁴. Always keep the policy in the car.
• Checks when you leave. When leaving Poland, you have to show insurance valid up to and including the day you leave. Without it, the Border Guard (Straż Graniczna) or the Customs and Tax Service (Służba Celno-Skarbowa) won’t let the car out until 9,610 zł has been paid⁴.
• Damage. For damage caused by an uninsured car from abroad, UFG pays out only to Polish citizens, and then claims the money back from the driver at fault and the person who failed to insure the car. Other injured parties have to claim compensation from the driver and the keeper^4,9.

Vehicle inspection for a car on Ukrainian plates

A car registered abroad may be driven in Poland if it is in proper technical condition, has registration plates and the driver carries its registration certificate⁶. The rules don’t require such a car to have a Polish periodic inspection⁸, and in Ukraine private passenger cars don’t undergo compulsory inspections¹⁰.

The police can, however, check the car’s technical condition, retain the registration certificate of a car that endangers road safety, have it towed away or send it for an additional inspection at a vehicle inspection station (stacja kontroli pojazdów, SKP)⁶. The rules don’t expressly provide for a voluntary periodic inspection of a car that stays on Ukrainian plates¹².

If you live in Poland: customs clearance or taking the car out of the EU

The Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym) sets no deadline for re-registering the car⁸. The obligation comes from EU customs law: without customs clearance — under what is known as temporary admission — the EU as a rule allows a car from Ukraine to be driven only by people who live outside the EU^23,24. If you live in Poland permanently — for example, you have a residence card (karta pobytu) or have lived here for years — you should, as a rule, expect to have to clear the car through customs²³.

Do you have temporary protection? Here the position is less clear. Neither EU nor Polish rules contain a separate rule for people with temporary protection (ochrona czasowa) or a PESEL number with UKR status^22,24, and we haven’t found a position on this from the National Revenue Administration (Krajowa Administracja Skarbowa, KAS). Practice in other EU countries has varied: the German customs administration took the view that a Ukrainian refugee’s car is placed under temporary admission on entry, and allowed it to be used on that basis — “Initially until 31 March 2024”³⁰. Before you decide, put a general question to Krajowa Informacja Skarbowa (the National Tax Information service) without giving your personal details²⁹, or get help from a tax adviser.

Driving a relative’s car from Ukraine? Not on a regular basis — you can’t. An EU resident may drive such a car only occasionally, at the request of the owner, who must be in the EU themselves at the time²⁴. You can return the car to its owner outside the EU; you can buy it from your relative only after customs clearance — see Selling a car on Ukrainian plates.

If the car stays in Poland even though the conditions of temporary admission aren’t met, the customs and tax office (urząd celno-skarbowy) may charge customs duty, excise duty and VAT, plus interest^16,17,23. Knowingly using the car in breach of those conditions may also lead to a fine under the Fiscal Penal Code (kodeks karny skarbowy)²⁸.

You can avoid the fine through voluntary disclosure (czynny żal, Article 16 of the Fiscal Penal Code). Before the office has documented knowledge of the matter or starts an audit, file a notice with the head of the customs and tax office (naczelnik urzędu celno-skarbowego) — in writing (including via e-Urząd Skarbowy) or orally, for the record — describe your situation in it, and then pay all the amounts due within the deadline the office sets²⁸. Declaring the car for customs clearance doesn’t replace this notice. Don’t describe your case to an official informally before you file the notice — after a conversation like that, voluntary disclosure may no longer work. If the car is worth a lot, consult a tax adviser or a lawyer first. You have two legal options:

• Customs clearance and registration in Poland. At the customs and tax office you declare the car for release for free circulation and pay customs duty, excise duty and VAT, unless you qualify for relief (described below). From that day the car may be driven in Poland for 30 days, and within that period you must apply for registration⁶.
• Taking the car out of the EU. The car goes back to Ukraine or to another non-EU country. Taking it out doesn’t always wipe out the charges for the period when the car was already in Poland in breach of the conditions of temporary admission²³. If the car has been in Poland for a long time, find out which charges apply to you before you decide — without giving your personal details, for example by putting a general question to Krajowa Informacja Skarbowa²⁹ — or ask a tax adviser.

If you don’t apply for registration within 30 days of customs clearance, the penalty is 500 zł; if you don’t apply within 180 days, it’s 1,000 zł^6,7.

If you came to Poland in this car — in 2022, for example — you may qualify for relief even years later: see Relief when you move to Poland.

The UC95 draft bill: not law yet

The UC95 draft bill makes use of an option in the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: a car that stays in a country for more than a year no longer has to be treated as being in international traffic⁸. According to the Ministry of Infrastructure:

• a car from a non-EU country could be in international traffic for no more than a year after entry, after which it would have to be registered in Poland^8,9; failing to register it could lead to the foreign registration certificate being retained and the car being removed from the road⁹;
• a person who lives in Poland would have to register the car within 30 days — counted, in the latest version, from applying for a temporary or permanent residence permit or EU long-term resident status⁸, and in an earlier one, from taking up residence⁹;
• people who already live in Poland would have 60 days from the Act coming into force to apply for registration⁹;
• used cars of certain categories brought in from outside the EU would, before first registration, go through a “national individual approval” (krajowe dopuszczenie indywidualne) at an SKP (sometimes with a technical service involved), with requirements close to those for type approval — so registration may involve more than it does today⁸;
• once registered, the car would undergo compulsory inspections like any Polish car^8,9.

The new rules would take effect a year after the Act is published^8,9. According to the website of the Government Legislation Centre (RCL), as of 7 October 2026 the draft is at the Standing Committee of the Council of Ministers stage (last updated 2 October 2026); the Council of Ministers hasn’t adopted it¹³. For now, you don’t need to do anything.

Registering a car from Ukraine step by step

1. Customs clearance at the customs and tax office (rates and relief are described below). You receive a customs clearance document, which you need for registration⁶.
2. An inspection at an SKP before first registration in Poland. A car of a model with European (EC or EU) type approval is exempt until the date its periodic inspection would fall due, with exceptions such as taxis; a Ukrainian inspection document doesn’t replace a Polish inspection⁶. It costs from 149 zł¹¹. Not every SKP inspects cars previously registered abroad¹² — ask before you go.
3. Polish OC — take it out no later than the day of registration^4,14.
4. Translations. Documents in a foreign language must come with a Polish translation by a sworn translator or a Polish consul¹⁴.
5. The registration application goes to the vehicle registration office (wydział komunikacji) of the district authority (starostwo) — or, in cities with district status, of the city hall (urząd miasta) — for your place of permanent or temporary residence⁶. Attach^6,14:
   • proof that you own the car;
   • the Ukrainian registration certificate or another registration document issued in Ukraine;
   • the customs clearance document;
   • the certificate showing the car passed its inspection, if one is required;
   • the Ukrainian number plates, or a statement about them.

The office may issue a temporary permit valid for 30 days before you receive the permanent registration certificate¹⁴. After that, your inspections follow the deadlines in our guide to car inspections in Poland.

Charges for customs clearance and registration

Excise duty is calculated on the customs value plus customs duty, and VAT on the customs value plus customs duty and excise duty^16,17. The excise exemption applies only to plug-in hybrids (charged from a socket); a conventional hybrid pays a lower rate^16,26. The Act says the exemption is confirmed by a certificate from the head of the tax office (naczelnik urzędu skarbowego), but for a car from outside the EU, excise duty is settled in the customs declaration¹⁶ — ask the customs and tax office which documents to prepare to prove how the car is powered. Without documented preferential Ukrainian origin and without relief for moving to Poland, customs duty is 10%¹⁵.

Relief when you move to Poland

A car brought in when you move from a non-EU country may be exempt from customs duty, excise duty and VAT on similar conditions^16,17,25:

• the car is for personal use, not for business;
• you used it abroad for at least 6 months before the move;
• you lived outside the EU for at least 12 months before the move;
• you won’t sell or lend the car for 12 months after bringing it in;
• you declare the car for customs clearance within 12 months of the move (for excise duty: you bring it in within that period); the exceptions are described below^16,17,25.

Missing the deadline doesn’t always rule out relief. For excise duty, what counts is whether you brought the car in within 12 months of arriving to live here permanently (at least 185 days a year) — if you drove it to Poland, you usually meet this condition¹⁶. The VAT exemption still applies after the deadline if you show it’s likely the delay wasn’t your fault¹⁷. For customs duty, the rules allow for “special cases”, and relief may be granted even where a customs debt has already arisen, provided there was no attempted fraud^23,25.

For customs duty, the authority may also waive the condition of 6 months’ use and the ban on selling the car for 12 months if the move was forced by exceptional political circumstances (Article 11 of Regulation 1186/2009)²⁵ — rely on this in your customs declaration. The VAT and Excise Duty Acts make no such exception^16,17. There is no official interpretation for people who fled the war. If the car has been in Poland for a long time, put a general question to Krajowa Informacja Skarbowa without giving your personal details²⁹, or ask a tax adviser, and describe your own situation only in the customs declaration or in your voluntary disclosure notice.

Selling a car on Ukrainian plates

Selling a car under temporary admission to an EU resident breaches the conditions of that procedure and gives rise to a customs debt. The buyer may also be liable for the duty if they knew or should have known about the breach²³. Without the customs clearance document, the buyer can’t register the car⁶, so clear the car through customs first, and only then sell it. If you used relief at clearance, selling within 12 months means paying the charges you were exempted from^16,17,25. The buyer pays 2% civil law transactions tax (podatek od czynności cywilnoprawnych, PCC) within 14 days of signing the contract²⁷.

Driving in Poland on a Ukrainian licence

This section applies only to driving licences issued in Ukraine. Do you have temporary protection? A valid Ukrainian driving licence is recognised in the EU for as long as temporary protection applies¹⁸ — currently until 4 March 2028¹⁹. You don’t have to exchange it, and you don’t need a translation or an international driving permit; the police may ask for your passport or a document confirming your right to stay¹⁸. Licences that expired after 2021 are also recognised if Ukraine has extended their validity and notified the European Commission. A licence in the Diia app may not be recognised¹⁸ — carry the plastic card.

When temporary protection ends. It ends in several situations, including on the day you receive a temporary or permanent residence permit or EU long-term resident status, and also if you leave Poland for more than 30 days²². From that day, as a rule, the EU rules for Ukrainian driving licences no longer apply to you¹⁸. So exchange your licence for a Polish one before you get your residence card.

Already have a residence card? The general rule applies: a Ukrainian licence entitles you to drive in Poland for 6 months “from the day your permanent or temporary stay begins”²⁰. The rules don’t say clearly whether those 6 months run from your arrival or from when you got your residence permit — if you’ve lived here since 2022, play it safe and assume the period has already passed. After that, you’re driving without a valid licence, and an insurer that pays compensation for damage you cause may demand that you pay it back⁴. Exchange your licence for a Polish one as soon as possible.

Exchanging it for a Polish licence. One of the conditions for an exchange is living in Poland for at least 185 days a year²⁰. Since 17 December 2025, a theory test and a certified translation are needed only if the licence doesn’t follow the Vienna Convention model^20,21. You can also exchange a licence that has expired, if Ukraine confirms its details and you provide documents that allow its validity to be extended²¹.

How Zovano helps you keep track of dates

On Ukrainian plates, the date that’s easiest to miss is the end of your Green Card or border insurance. Enter the policy end date in Zovano as an OC date or a custom reminder — the app will remind you 30, 7, 3 or 1 day before, or on the day itself (you can pick several). Once the car is registered in Poland, add your inspection date, plus oil and tyre changes. You enter the dates yourself, and the app is free.

Bear in mind that you won’t see a car like this in the mObywatel app until it’s registered in Poland — find out more in our guide to mObywatel OC and inspection reminders.